be grateful it wasn't worse

When something bad happens to us or a loved one, it's easy to start wondering: "What if?"

• What if things went slightly differently?
• What if I left my house 30 seconds later?
• What if I made a slightly different decision?

But whenever I start going down this type of thinking, instead, I force myself to think the opposite: "I'm glad it wasn't worse." Perhaps if I left the house 30 seconds later, something 10x worse would have happened.

So no matter what happens, good or bad, it could have always been worse. This helps me remain grateful for the way things are.